Sunday Morning Series - Victory for Doubters - Our Position

Text: Mark 5:21-43

In this passage, we read about how Jairus comes to Jesus and asks him to heal his daughter. He's in what I call, "the first position." This is neither a place of doubt nor faith. It's simply where we are when the situation arises.

Although we don't know where Jairus' position was, we are familiar with our own.

1. We could be on a spiritual high or low.

2. We could be on an emotional high or low.

3. Maybe it caught us by surprise.

4. Or maybe we saw it coming.

It doesn't matter so much what position we are in, but what position we come to when we face the crisis.

Jairus' second position is revealed in scripture. He says, "My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live." It must have been hard for Jairus to leave his child's bedside, knowing she might die at any time. Yet, he's heard about how Jesus heals people. Jairus has focused his faith. Jesus agrees to go with him.

How do we get to this position of focused faith?

1. We assess what we are up against.

2. We determine God's will by studying His Word.

3. We declare it with our mouth.

4. We stand on God's Word.

The third position occurs when new information arrives. Messengers come and inform Jairus his daughter has died and to not trouble the Master. We can't always stop new information from coming to our ears, but we can stop it from taking root in our heart. We believe with our heart, not our mind.

Before Jairus could utter a word, Jesus commands him not to fear but believe. Jesus does not want Jairus to change his position by speaking words of fear.

To hear the full message, visit our website, and click on the Sermon Player. You can listen online, podcast, or download it to your MP3 player FREE.

If you're visiting in the area or looking for a church home, we invite you to fellowship with us on Sunday at 10 A.M. We're located at 1111 Easton Rd. (Rte. 611), Warrington, PA. Directions are available on the website or you can call the church office at (215) 343-7686.

Announcement

Your 2010 CONTRIBUTION STATEMENTS are ready. Make sure you get yours before leaving church on Sunday.

Thank you for your continued support of the church with your tithes and offerings. You have always been such a great giving church! Your support has helped Zoe continue for 21 years to be a place of worship, prayer, ministry, teaching of the Word of God, and equipping the saints for the work of the ministry.

*CANCELLATION*

Tonight's mid-week service is CANCELLED due to the snowstorm.

Mark Your Calendar

Men take note. We have a MEN'S NIGHT OUT for our annual trip to the auto show in Philadelphia on Friday, February 4th. We try to leave about 4:00 P.M., have dinner after the show, and usually get back around midnight.

If you plan to attend, please let Keith or Pastor Steve know.

On Sunday, February 6, 2011, we'll have our next Covered Dish Dinner and S.A.L.T. meeting. Make plans to stay after the service and enjoy a meal together.

Please bring a main dish with enough for your family and some to share, a side dish and/or a dessert. We wrap up by 2:30 P.M.

Quotable Quote

"It seems God is limited by our prayer life - that he can do nothing for humanity unless someone asks Him." - John Wesley

This Week At Zoe

Some bad weather is possible for this Wednesday, 1/26/11. Please check our Facebook page, the church blog, and emails regarding cancellation.

Otherwise, the topic will be posted on the church Facebook page on Wednesday. The service begins at 7:30 P.M.

The Ladies' Brunch will be held on Saturday, 1/29/11, at 10:00 A.M., in the Children's Church auditorium. Please bring a main dish, your Bibles, and even a friend.

Candy is in charge of coordinating the food. If you have any questions about what to bring, please see her.

Sunday Morning Series - Victory for Doubters - Somebody's Got To Do Something!

Text: Mark 11:20-24

This scripture tells us to "say to the mountain...". Who can do this? Only those who minister? Only Jesus? No, the Word says, "whosoever."

What NOT to say to the problem:

1) Job search - "It's tough out there." In effect, you're feeding your problem. You're telling it to live long and prosper.

2) Health - "Well, you know, I have a bad knee."

So, what DO you say?

1) First of all we must know what God's Word says, its purpose, and believe it's truth for us. Say what the Word says to the problem.

What about the doubts that arise? My Pastor, Bob Yandian, said the word, "doubt," in this verse is passive. Doubt comes from the outside and tries to act on you. How many times do we speak something, but doubt it will ever happen? If you repeat yourself over and over, you're getting into a works mentality. It's not how many times you say something, it's by faith.

In verse 24, Jesus switches over to prayer. These same principles apply to things we're told to pray about. We're told to ask for wisdom. We don't tell God what to do. We're told to ask. This relates to things, not people. God respects our free will, and we must do the same. When I was in school, a girl claimed that I was going to marry her. One day she asked, "When are we going to get married?" I told her, "Never."

To hear the entire message, visit our website, and click on the Sermon Player. You can download the teaching to your MP3 player or podcast it for FREE or just listen online.

If you're visiting in the area or looking for a church home, we invite you to our Sunday Morning service at 10:00 A.M. We're located at 1111 Easton Rd. (Rte. 611), Warrington, PA. You can get directions on our website or contact us at (215) 343-7686. We'd enjoy meeting you!

Men - Mark Your Calendar!

The Men's Night Out is scheduled for Friday, February 4th. We'll take our annual trip to the Philadelphia Auto Show.

We try to leave around 4:00 P.M., have dinner after the show, and usually get back around midnight.

Stay Up To Date

Want to know what's happening at Zoe Christian Fellowship? Stay up to date on any news, changes in schedule, or see write-ups on the Sunday services by visiting the church blog. You can link to it from the church website in the menu.

We're also on Facebook and post information on there.

Quotable Quote

"Faith and obedience are bound up in the same bundle. He that obeys God trusts God; and he that trusts God obeys God. He that is without faith is without works; and he that is without works is without faith." - Charles H. Spurgeon

This Week At Zoe

On Wednesday, January 19, 2011, leadership prayer will start at 6:30 P.M. ALL CHURCH PRAYER begins at 7:30 P.M.

Sunday Morning Series - Victory for Doubters - Choices, Choices, Choices

Text: I Kings 13, Matt. 14:22-33

Keep your doubt in the right direction. Doubt everything that is against God's Word. We have a choice what we will believe or doubt.

Choose to obey - In I Kings 13, the man of God was given a directive from the Lord. He obeyed it, standing before unrighteous and powerful men. He spoke the words God had given him, and resisted temptation and invitation.

Two forces come against us to destroy our faith in God's Word and raise doubt: one from within the Body of Christ and one from without. This man resisted the ungodly people very well, but not the prophet who lied.

Choose to trust - In Matt. 14:22-33, was Peter obeying the Word of God? No. There's no scripture saying, "Ask Jesus if you can walk on water." He simply asked the Lord if he could also walk on water. When Jesus invited him to come, he doubted the natural laws of nature and trusted Jesus. Yet, when he saw the wind, he stopped trusting Jesus and believed in his circumstances. He became afraid.

If we're going to get past the trust problem, we must overcome fear. Fears stops us from trusting. Why do we fear?

1) We fear the unknown. Little children fear the noises they hear when they're in bed.

2) We fear the known. The newspaper headlines scream about the economy, disasters, etc.

3) We fear our future expectations. People expect tragedy or illness to strike.

4) We fear our past inadequacies. If we failed in a particular area, we expect to fail again.

5) We fear what we see in our circumstances that is contrary to God's Word.

Fear is like a bully. You need to stand up to it.

Choose to Advance - The Children of Israel had a choice. Believe Joshua and Caleb's report or the report of the other ten spies. They decided the ten, who said they couldn't defeat the enemy were right. They refused to advance, and ended up dying in the wilderness. We can choose to advance, trust God, and obey. Doubt the things that bring fear.

To hear the entire message, go to our website and click on the Sermon Player. It's also available for download to your MP3 player or podcasting.

If you're visiting in our area or looking for a church home, we invite you to fellowship with us on Sunday at 10:00 A.M. We're located at 1111 Easton Rd. (Rte. 611), Warrington, PA. The church telephone number is (215) 343-7686. There are also directions on our website.

NEWS FLASH!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011 - The Prayer Meeting has been postponed until next Wednesday, January 19, 2011, due to poor road conditions and blowing snow.

Quotable Quotes

"The whole difficulty is that we wish to pray in the Spirit and at the same time walk after the flesh. This is impossible!" - Andrew Murray

This Week at Zoe

On Wednesday, 1/12/11, at 7:30 P.M., we'll have ALL CHURCH PRAYER. We will be praying over individual, church, and national needs.

Next Saturday, 1/15/11, the men will meet in the Children's Church for our monthly Men's Breakfast. Please bring a breakfast item and your Bibles. See Keith if you have any questions.

Victory for Doubters - "Is Doubt Always Bad?"

Text: Mark 11:11-26

During this new series, we'll be studying faith. I'm not only talking about money or getting things, although that is one aspect. Hebrews tells us that it's impossible to please God without faith. Since it's so important to God, it's worth our careful consideration.

Within the context of this chapter, Jesus has entered Jerusalem in triumph. He goes into the temple and looks around. Note: He doesn't do anything at this point. He's just checking things out.

He and the disciples go back to Bethany for the night. The next day, Jesus returns to the temple. On the way there, he checks a fig tree for fruit and finds none. Now, it wasn't the season for figs, so it seems a bit strange. On the way back from Jerusalem, they pass the tree, and it's withered away. The disciples are amazed.

Jesus uses the opportunity to give them a lesson on faith. He tells them to have faith in God. If you analyze these verses, several important things stand out: 1) Say, 2) Believes those things he says, and 3) does not doubt in his heart.

Our problem is often in the area of doubt. Jesus also says that unforgiveness is a serious offense to God and will hinder our prayers.

Yet, we can use doubt to work in our favor. When Satan whispers, "You're going to lose your job," we can respond, "I doubt that." When someone speaks unbelief about our situation, we can refuse to receive those words by saying, "No, I don't think so. The Word of God says..." Whatever doesn't match up to the Word of God can be met with doubt. Let's not put our faith in the enemy's lies.

This is only a taste of the full message. To hear the entire teaching, check out our website and go on the Sermon Player. You can also download it to your MP3 player of podcast it FREE.

If you're visiting in the area or looking for a church home, we invite you to our Sunday Morning worship service. It begins promptly at 10:00 A.M. We're located at 1111 Easton Rd. (Rte. 611), Warrington, PA. The church telephone number is (215) 343-7686. You can also find directions on our website.

Quotable Quotes

"If you're running a 26-mile marathon, remember that every mile is run one step at a time. If you are writing a book, do it one page at a time. If you're trying to master a new language, try it one word at a time. There are 365 days in the average year. Divide any project by 365 and you'll find that no job is all that intimidating." - Charles (Chuck) Swindoll

This Week At Zoe

Our midweek service is on Wednesday, 1/5/11, at 7:30 P.M. The topic will be announced on Facebook.

The Youth Group will be held at 7:30 P.M.

Sunday Morning Series - Bearing Fruit For God - Neither Barren Nor Unfruitful

Text: 2 Peter 1:1-11

This scripture talks about giving all diligence and every intense effort add to your faith. It doesn't just happen. There's a part we supply.

God gives us a measure of faith, but we add virtue, knowledge (experiential), self-control, perseverance (patience), Godliness, brotherly love, and love (God's agape love).

Verse 8 talks says, "For if these things are yours...". There's a difference between having a thing and owning it. You know you've truly grasped a language if you can think in it. The scripture continues and says, "and abound...". It's not enough to just have the bare minimum. An abundance is required. These are the conditions to being neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

To hear the entire message, please visit our website and click on the Sermon Player. You can also download it to your MP3 player or podcast FREE of charge.

If you're visiting in the area or looking for a church home, we invite you to worship with us on Sunday at 10 A.M. We're located at 111 Easton Road (Rte. 611), Warrington, PA. The church phone number is (215) 343-7686.